...Moving on, recall from my last entry about the second part of my first entry, which had six entries on the first of July, being the seventh month of the year 2009...uhh...backfire - in my cute attempt to confuse I confused myself...I ran into a doorway at the Target and went back to a hospital (not because of the doorway).
During my stay at the rehab hospital, I'd make frequent trips to Dallas to see my neurosurgeon, Dr. Jonathan White, when I say his name or picture him in my head I hear the angels singing; this man is a god as far as I'm concerned. Here are the particulars -
The Doctor Visit
On June 30th, Jessica, My parents and I met with Dr. White, a neurosurgeon, at UT Southwestern. I also got an MRI. The doctor (and the scans) suggested I wait a while longer as there is still too much blood in my head. BUT, surgery is possible given the current location. I will go back in two months and do the same thing and hopefully the blood will have absorbed (enough to operate anyway). The surgery itself is risky and will likely send me back to rehab (if not worse). The tradeoff is a lifetime without fear of this recurring with some permanent damage or the possibility of recurrence and the fear that that possibility brings. I am opting for the former (surgery).
Dr. White looked at the pictures born out of the loud noises shot through my skull and reckoned we wait until the bleed site becomes not so bloody. I was a bit upset about this, I was ready to have that thing out of my noodle. If I may borrow the tone from the JG Wentworth (this blog sponsored by lump sums for structured settlement payments) commercials - IT'S MY CAVERNOMA AND I WANT IT OUT! I do worry about it growing back, but I'm glad I don't have to worry that it's gonna erupt again. I sometimes think how it might be if I hadn't had the surgery, then I think about not walking and paralysis and that thought quickly goes away. For those of you contemplating surgery, many will say "it's a very personal decision." To me, that part is implied, my advice is this - if your doctor is confident he/she can cut it out with a minimum of residual damage and you trust in this doctor after having done your research on him/her - cut that sucker out of there; don't wait for it to bleed again. What's next?
Location, Location, Location
My cavernoma is located in the Pons region, located on the brainstem which controls (from what I understand) -
- Autonomic function (breathing, heart rate...stuff that just happens automatically *gulp*)
- Sleep (This I know)
- Messages between the cerebrum and cerebellum
- Hearing
- Fine motor skill (This I know)
There are more, but these seem to be the most prominent. Again, this info. is from my limited understanding.
I've written about the Pons more thoroughly HERE. For the most part, the functions listed above are accurate. I'm starting to suspect that most of the issues I've experienced and continue to deal with have more to do with the bridge function of the Pons rather than the functions it controls. Here's a better explanation: let's say the the Pons is a silly doorman at your apartment named...Pons (I couldn't think of anything else), the apartment building is the cerebellum, the area outside the door is the cerebral cortex, and you are a message. Pons is a pretty eccentric dude, he wears sunglasses all day, and once tried to give a swirlie (swirly?) to a solicitor. You're not concerned with his personality, you just want him to open the door. One day, he decides he doesn't want to open the door anymore. Now you have trouble getting from the building (cerebellum) to the outside (cerebral cortex). What's more, Pons has no direct control over your balance, but he can put a trip wire across the doorway, much like...
TBI is...Tempest Blows Indoors. I tweeted this one earlier in the week, but I'd like to give it more explanation. Here is the original explanation - For no reason, I'll flail my arms about to regain my balance after thinking about tacos or something. You see, I often have to think about walking the way most people would think about math. That is, I have to think pretty hard about the terrain, wind, fatigue, etc. As I've mentioned before, there are shiny things everywhere. If/when I get distracted I can lose my balance pretty easily. Luckily, I still have a pretty good reflex to keep me upright. This comes out to - Jarrett is walking down an aisle at the store, Jarrett spots a fancy, yet useless gadget in the "As Seen On TV" display, Jarrett loses his balance, it looks like Jarrett is swimming through the air as he tries to regain equilibrium.
FIN
@JarrettLWilson
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